Wrightstyle brings Farringdon art to life

Wrightstyle, the advanced steel and aluminium glazing system company, recently completed three elevations of structurally-glazed curtain walling measuring over 50 metres in length as part of recent work on the eastern ticket hall of Crossrail’s Farringdon station.

As part of Crossrail’s Art Programme, British artist Simon Periton designed an artwork for the curtain walling featuring an intricate pattern that reflects the elaborate Victorian metalwork of the historic Smithfield Market directly opposite.

During the day, the artwork will allow passengers to see inside to the coffered ceiling that echoes the Brutalist architecture of the nearby Barbican, whilst changing shadows will be cast across the interior space.

In the evening, the station lights will illuminate the design from inside, offering a dramatic new perspective to those on the nearby streets.

Wrightstyle is currently working on seven out of the 40 stations on the Elizabeth line, including Bond Street, Paddington, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Woolwich. Supplying high specification curtain walling, glazed doors and screens. The new Farringdon station is expected to serve 82,000 passengers every working day.

Specialist glass from Hero Glass was chosen for the project “which pushed the capabilities of normal glass design, but which also successfully fuses art and architecture in this remarkable building,” according to Lee Coates, UK director, Hero Glass. The artwork was created using a silk screen print process in Hero’s factory, which gave the visual result the artist was looking for.

“Crossrail is the largest construction project in Europe and passenger safety is, of course, the paramount concern of the design team,” said Wrightstyle contracts manager, John Woodcock.

“That’s the reason why our systems have been specified across several new stations on the Elizabeth Line. We have great experience in the transportation sector, and our systems have been subjected to international testing in Europe, the USA and Asia,” he said.